International Relations Today · Concepts and Applications

Description The discipline of international relations has undergonedrastic changes since the disintegration of the Soviet Union andthe end of the Cold War in 1991. The United States of America hasemerged as the only superpower in the world, making internationalpolitics seemingly unipolar. However, international politics todayalso signals the possibility of a multipolar world. The rise ofChina as a major military and economic power, the potential ofRussia, India and Germany as tomorrow's big powers, and the successof the European Union and ASEAN as economic and political blocs ofconsiderable substance point towards the feasibility of amultipolar world. Moreover, nation-states have become moreinterdependent today than ever before because of emerging issues ininternational relations such as environment, terrorism, andglobalization. Therefore, the post?Cold War world order has thrownup many fascinating aspects of international relations: Is thepost?Cold War international order unipolar, or indeed a multipolarone? Is globalization eroding the notion of state sovereignty? Whatwould be the impact of energy crises on world politics? Is theworld moving towards economic integration? Is China going to posean effective challenge to the might of the USA? What is the futureof regional organizations? What are the major theories incontemporary International Relations? These and many otherquestions require proper analyses to understand the nature of thediscipline today. Although crucial for developing an understandingof the complexities of international relations today, very fewbooks on international relations cover all of these issues. Thisbook, written by a widely known expert in the field, discusses allthese issues, making it the most up-to-date textbook on thesubject. Meant primarily for students studying InternationalRelations in colleges and universities, this book will also beuseful to civil service aspirants, and others interested in thediscipline. This book captures the d